To Live Longer & Healthier - Focus on Fitness, NOT Weight - Says new study

A new study reported in this week's issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Medical Association  concluded that people can worry less about their weight as long as they continue to maintain or increase fitness levels.  Which is good news for those who are  physically active but have trouble losing weight.  Researchers say fitness pays off in a lower risk of premature death, regardless of weight.

"To reach that conclusion, researchers in the U.S. studied the fitness levels of 14,345 participants using treadmill tests over six years. After more than 11 years of follow-up, those who maintained or improved their fitness levels lived longer, regardless of whether the numbers on the scale stayed the same or even went up, the researchers said."  In an article from  cbc news the study's lead researcher went on to say,

"Given the great difficulties of losing weight and maintaining a reduced weight over the long term, this study underscores the benefits of maintaining and improving fitness to reduce mortality risk independent of weight change," said the study's lead researcher, Duck-chul Lee, a physical activity epidemiologist in the department of exercise science at the University of South Carolina.

"You can worry less about your weight as long as you continue to maintain or increase your fitness levels," he added. 

"In conclusion, maintaining or improving fitness is associated with a lower risk of premature deaths from all-causes and cardiovascular disease in men," the study's authors wrote.

To live longer and healthier lives increased attention needs to be placed on strategies to maintain or improve fitness. and moving the focus away from weight loss.  MF